Lithuania notes rise in information pressure during Zapad drills - official

VILNIUS - Lithuania has observed a rise in information pressure following the launch of Zapad military exercise by Russia and Belarus, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Center (NCMC), said on Monday.

"We are seeing an increase in information pressure. By that, we don't mean disinformation, but the broadcasting of messages about the Zapad exercises, their alleged defensive nature, and the supposed military might of Russia and Belarus," Vitkauskas told LRT radio on Monday.

"Comparing this month (…) with the previous month, the increase is roughly tenfold. But this is not unusual; we typically see similar trends before any major exercise, and once the drills end, the information pressure will ease," he added.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces stress that the situation has not changed since the start of Zapad - the risk of an attack on Lithuania or NATO remains low, though various provocations are possible.

Zapad 2025 kicked off on Friday and will run through Tuesday.

The likelihood of border violations, drone incursions, signal interference and other provocations is higher during this period, according to the military.

Intelligence indicates that about 30,000 troops are expected to participate in the drills, including up to 8,000 in Belarus and up to 4,000 in Kaliningrad. The aim of the exercise is to demonstrate power to the West.